In the hundred years from 1571 to 1671, four fires ravaged Moscow. Many people were left homeless. But, according to the book Peter the Great by Robert K Massie, pre-fab homes could be constructed on site. The logs were already cut and labeled and the customer could visit the business, pick out the size house he wanted and it would be assembled quickly on site.

Another proponent of quickly assembled shelters, Native Americans, often moved their homes. I wondered if I might be able to assemble a similar structure, so I asked someone with Native American heritage to help.

We used persimmon saplings for the poles, although these weren't given the opportunity to cure as I believe would have been done in the past. After the poles were tested we disassembled it. (I watched.) Then we moved it and used two tarps for the walls. (Actually, I watched again.) I had an example of how quickly the structure could be assembled and disassembled. I enjoyed the experiment.